


help, i've rusted and i can't get up

by adw520



Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Sort of humor, first oneshot!, oh yeah also, thank the bird dad and iron dad tumblr chat for this, was supposed to be more shippy but i forgot, wrote this instead of my english essay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21691024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adw520/pseuds/adw520
Summary: James finds Qrow crying in the hallway. His attempt to cheer Qrow up ends with them both stuck on the couch, thanks to some rusting in his joints.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & James Ironwood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	help, i've rusted and i can't get up

**Author's Note:**

> First oneshot! The OC isn't important and there's no other fics you need to read to understand what's happening. But I should probably be sleeping right now so take it and enjoy!

James sighs as he steps out of his office. Between conference calls with the Council, persistent reporters attempting to get 'the real story' behind the fourth assassination of the week (a woman named Cypress Verdigris, who was last seen alive at a protest in downtown Mantle), and a frustratingly long talk with Jacques Schnee, he's completely exhausted. Even his metal joints are stiff, his shoulder in particular. Probably a calibration problem, now that he thinks about it. He mentally adds fixing it to his list of things to do. On the bright side, nobody else should be up and around this late, so if he could just get to his room...

He stops, seeing Qrow standing with his head against the wall, shoulders shaking and fists clenched. His first thought is that the man was injured somehow, but as he gets closer, he realizes that Qrow is unharmed. At least, from what he can see. No, Qrow is _crying_. He clears his throat, immediately regretting it when Qrow jumps and straightens up, scrubbing the tears away. He relaxes once he sees who's standing there.

"Um... Is everything alright?" James asks, folding his hands behind his back out of habit. He may be tired, but this takes priority.

Qrow shrugs, giving a grin that doesn't meet his eyes. "Hey, Jimmy. I was just heading back to my room."

It's not an answer, and both of them know it. "Well, I hope you don't mind if I accompany you."

"Usually I'd tell you to buy me dinner first, but-"

" _Qrow_."

"Kidding." His grin is much more genuine, even if his eyes are still red from crying. It fades too quickly once they start walking.

"Would you like to talk about it?" James asks, once it's clear Qrow won't be starting the conversation himself.

"Talk about what?"

"You're upset. It's fine if you'd rather not talk about it, I just thought I'd ask." He's not really expecting Qrow to share, if he's being honest.

"It's..." He trails off, frowning at the floor. "It's stupid."

"I don't mind." They're stopped outside Qrow's room now, but he doesn't move to open the door. James waits patiently.

Finally, Qrow sighs, going into his room. "Whatever." He doesn't shut the door behind himself, so James takes a step to do it for him. "The door's open for you to _come in_ , Jimmy."

James pulls his hand back and steps into the room, ears burning. "Of course."

Qrow snorts, plopping down on the small couch that comes standard with all staff rooms at Atlas. James had his replaced ages ago, they're about as comfortable as a pile of rocks. He joins Qrow anyway, noticing the faded photograph on the table. It takes him a moment to recognize the faces of Team STRQ there, between the stains and his own exhaustion.

"Reminiscing?"

Qrow shrugs. "Something like that."

"Mm." They sit in silence for a few momemts. James yawns, leaning forward to stand. Qrow grabs his arm, and he looks over in surprise.

Qrow doesn't meet his eyes. " _Please_."

James sits back. "I'm not going anywhere," he says softly, hoping he sounds reassuring. Qrow doesn't release his arm, so he does the next best thing.

Qrow melts into the hug, resting his head on James' shoulder. His arm creaks as he moves it, but that's not important right now. For now, Qrow needs a hug, and he is here to provide it.

* * *

"-immy. Jimmy, wake up." Something shoves at his chest. " _James_. C'mon, I need to get up, _move_."

James blinks tiredly. He's... still on the couch, which explains why his back is so sore. Attempting to shove his metal arm off and cursing when it doesn't budge is Qrow, still trapped in the hug and pinning James' flesh-and-blood arm to the back of the couch.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Qrow glares at him. "Move your arm, I'm trying to get up."

"Of course," James mutters, trying to move it himself. Keyword _try_. The elbow straightens a bit, and the hand does a weird little spasm, but it doesn't move otherwise. He remembers how stiff his shoulder was last night, and how it creaked when he moved it. _Oh no. Not again._

"What's taking so long?"

"Uh... Are you sure you can't just... squeeze out?" James asks hopefully.

Qrow gives him a flat stare. "Do I look like I can fit through there?"

"...No."

"Why can't you just move your arm?"

"It, ah..." James grimaces. "Well, my joints are supposed to be sealed, so that water doesn't get inside."

"Are you _serious_?"

"It seems there may have been a leak after my last calibration. In my shoulder, if I had to guess."

"Is it broken?"

"Most likely. At the very least, I'll need to replace whichever part rusted this time."

" _This_ time?" Qrow bursts into laughter. "You've rusted before?"

James scowls. At least Qrow's feeling better than he was last night. "Yes, steel rusts. Can you move it yourself?"

"No. I've been trying for the past ten minutes."

"Then it appears we are stuck."

"Just my luck." Qrow thinks for a moment. "Can you eject your arm? Like Yang does."

"That was a custom feature. It doesn't work from the shoulder, anyway." James knows that from experience. He leans over as best he can with Qrow in the way, doing his best not to tip them both head-first into the coffee table.

"Are you saying you tried it?"

"...Maybe."

Qrow snorts, following his gaze. "Wait, I think I got it." He tries to slide under James' outstretched arm, only succeeding in getting himself more stuck. "...Or not."

"No, you did it," James tells him, shaking out his newly-freed arm. It ended up falling asleep while Qrow was leaning on it. He takes off that sleeve, then reaches over to detach the prosthetic. Qrow falls off the couch with a yelp once it's gone, narrowly missing the table with his face. James fails to hide his laugh. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks for not laughing." Qrow stands up, brushing himself off and stretching. His back pops enough times to make James wince. "Hey, Jimmy, your couches suck."

"That's why I had mine replaced," James agrees, also standing. "I should be going. Glad to see you're doing better." He starts towards the door.

"Hey, Jimmy." He stops, turning to look at Qrow. Qrow, who is not looking at him in favor of staring down the table. "...Thanks. I needed that."

**Author's Note:**

> And, like James ironwood himself, I can't write an ending to save my life. At least I didn't forget I could turn into a bird and easily escape the hug prison.
> 
> Also, did you know it only takes 4-5 days for a 2"×2" area of steel to rust when exposed to the elements, depending on the climate? Because I didn't. Until I looked it up to see if this was even plausible (I would've written it anyway, I was just curious).


End file.
